Heating system for oil stills



March 16 1926. 1,576,563

F. E. WELLMAN` HEATING SYSTEM FOR OIL STILLS Filed Dec. 17 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet l l/MEI? OR. B mfmg March 16 1926.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F. E. WLLMAN Fled Dec. 17, 1921 HEATING SYSTEM FOR OIL STILLS Patented Mar. 16, 1926.

UNITED STATES 1,576,563 PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK E. WELLMAN, 0F KANSAS CITY, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR T0 THE KANSAS CITY GASOLINE COMPANY, OF KANSAS CITY, KANSAS,

A CORPORATION OF KANSAS.

HEATING SYSTEM FOR OIL STILLS.

Application filed December 17, 1921. ySerial No. 523,062.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANK E. WELLMAN,

a citizen of the United States, residing at.

Kansas City, in the county of Wyandotte and the State of Kansas, have invented a, certain new and useful Improvementin Heating Systems for Oil Stills, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

M-y invention relates to the art of heating, Ywith special reference to heating the stills and retorts used in refining and cracking petroleum oil. It has for its object the provision of a method of and means for heating such that the greatest possible surface shall be exposed to the direct action of flame and heated gases without overheating any portion of the receptacle upon which precipitated or separated constituents of the material under treatment are thrown down. In cracking petroleum oils, especially, trouble has been experienced with the carbon deposited on-the bottoms of the stills and retorts when heated from beneath in the ordinary way by reason of the loss of conduction and under extreme conditions the burning out of the still bottoms due to adherence of the carbon deposits to the heated metal. Even when heat is shut olf in time to avoid burning out, the work of cleaning the bottoms is difficult, laborious and expensive.

l attain my object by arranging a still or other container in the furnace in such manner that heat may be applied to the sides and upper portion thereof only, the bottom being preferably insulated to prevent loss of heat.

The simplest embodiment of this idea is a vertical still hung within an enclosing furnace surrounding it so as to leave clearance for the vertical passage of heated gases to a stack opening orflue at the top. Fuel may be introduced and combustion maintained in the annular space or in a combustion chamber connected therewith, and the bottom of the still protected by a suitable covering of insulating material.

The preferred embodiment, which I shall describe and specifically claim herein, has a rotating burner, enabling the fuel to be introduced centrally beneath the still, while the liame and products of combustion are mechanically swept around in the annular passage, whereby practically uniform heat is applied to every part of the surface. @ther features of the invention will sufficiently appear from the detailed description hereinafter.

My invention is illustrated 'in the accompanylng drawings in which:

Flg. l is a vertical central section, diagrammatic in character, of a simple apparatus for practicing the method.

F ig. 2 is a similar section of an apparatus found successful in practice.

.Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a detail view in vertical section of the head of a still fitted with an indicator.

Referring to Fig. 1, the numeral 1 indicates a still of usual cylindrical body, hung by lugs lg-lg in a furnace 2, having a stack 2a at the top, a space 2b at the bottom beneath the still, and an annular chamber 2c between its walls and the sides of the still. The still has a charging and draw-olf line as ld, a vapor line as le, the former extending nearly to the bottom l", and the latter terminating within the top or crown lb. The still is charged with oil to the level shown. The bottom lc is insulated with an overlap on the sides, as indicated at lf, dimensions of course being variable according to conditions. Beneath the still, in the space 2, a rotating burner 3 is located. This may have a fuel pine 3, a surrounding air pipe 3", and swivelled joints 3c and3d so arranged that the burner 3 may be swung or rotated in a circle in the annular space 2, by means of bevel gears driven by a shaft 3t connected to suitable motor means 3m. As the burner 3c rotates the heated gases will rise therefrom in continuous helical waves around the body of the still 1, the intensity and distribution of the heat being determined by the rate of combustion of the fuel and the speed of rotation of the burner.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3. the still l is hung as before by lugs (not shown) in the furnace 2 so as to leave an annular Hue space 2c provided with stack opening 2a at the top. In this case 1d is the draw-off line, ld2 the charging line, and '1t the vapor line. At the bottom of space 2c a rotating shelf 8b is provided,l (best shown in Fig. 3,) supported by arms 8--8a on a sleeve 8 having fixed thereto a bevel gear 8c driven by pinion 8-on shaft 3' leading to motor drive indicated as before by 3m. The fuel is oil, led in through pipe 4, and with it is supplied steam through pipe 5, these two pipes terminating at a common spray nozzle or burner 3e carried by the shelf 8b, which has a set of draft openings 8d (see Fig. 3)- to supply air for combustion. To permit rotation of the burner, pipe 4 has a vertical central fixed section fitted at its upper end with a swivel joint 4a for the Vrotary section 4b leading to the burner 3"; whilepipe 5 has a vertical jacket section 58L surrounding pipe 4 and fitted at its upper end with a swivel joint 5b for rotating cap 5c having a stuffing box around pipe 4, and carrying the rotating pipe 5d leading to the burner 3e. The operation is essentially the same as in the apparatus of Fig. l. The fiames and heated gases are confined to the space above the shelf 8b, and air for combustion is supplied through space 2b beneath the same. The oil is 'somewhat preheated by the steam in jacket 5,, which is an incidental advantage.

In Figure 4 I have shown a gauge glass attached to the head of the still to show the liquidlevel. This is typical only, as 1 n practice a convenient form of in'dlcator 1s a fioatrising and falling on the oil and an indicating arm outside the still, with an operating connection from the float to the arm through a stuffing box. Other forms of indicator may be employed without departure from the invention.

The reason for determining the liquid level with certainty is that this system of heating is intended to enable two contents or more to be pumped in and treated v.in one run. After such a run, in which there 1s 'drawn off through the condenser more than the original charge, the interior of the still is found to bear only a thin coat of carbon` approximately the thickness of a coat of amt, which scrapes off very easily. This 1S due not only to uniform distribution of the heat over the still body, but to the direct application. of the naked flame u on .the cylinder of the still at constantly c anglng points. The vertical position of the still lends itself tothis mode of application, as naturally the carbon precipitates from its perpendicular sides.

It will be observed that the arrangement .of the burner 3e and the shelf 8b in Figs. 2

and 3, enables regulation of the amount of air supplied for carburization of the fuel, and also provides a very convenient means of supporting a target for the oil burner to play over.

What I claim is:

l. The combination of a vertical still, a furnace setting enclosing the same with an annular combustion space between the two, a stack adapted to receive products of combustion from the upper part of said space, means to produce localized combustion of fuel in the lower part of said space and means to constantly change the point of appliflzation of the resultant flame to the still wa l.

2. The combination claimed in claim l, with combustion means comprising a fuel burner adapted to rotate around the lower part of the still but above the bottom thereof.

3. The combination claimed in claim l, with combustion means comprising a fuel burner adapted to rotate around the lower part of the still but above the bottom thereof, supply means for the burner comprising a fixed pipe centrally supported beneath the still, and a radial pipe section swivelled on the same and connected to the burner at its outer end.

4. The combination claimed in claim l with combustion means comprising a fuel burner adapted to rotate' around the lower part of the still but above the bottom thereof, supply means for the burner comprising a fixed pipe centrally supported beneath the still, a radial pipe section swivelle-d on the same and connected to the burner at its outer end, and a motor connected to said radial pipe section to rotate the Same on the fixed central' pipe and thereby to rotate the burner around the still in the combustion space.-

5. The combination claimed in claim l with combustion means comprising a fuel burner adapted to rotate around the lower part ofthe still but above the bottom thereof, supply means for the burner comprising a fixed pipe centrallyv supported beneath the still, a radial pipe section swivelled on the same and connected to the burner at its outer end, and a motor connected to said radial pipe section to rotate the same on the fixed central pipe and thereb to rotate the burner around the still in t e combustion space, together with supplemental means to supply a medium to promote combustion comprisinga fixed sleeve surrounding the central fuel pipe, and a radial pipe swivelled thereon and also connected to the burner at its outer end.

6. The combination claimed in claim 1 with combustion means comprising a fuel burner adapted to rotate around thelower part of the still but above the bottom thereof, supply means for the burner comprising a fixed pipe centrally supported beneath the still, a radial pipe section swivelled on the same and connected to the burner at its outer end, and a motor connected to said radial pipe section to rotate the same on the fixed central pipe and thereby to rotate the burner around the still in the combustion space, together with supplemental means to supply a medium to promote combustion comprising a fixed sleeve surrounding the central fuel pipe and a radial pipe swivelled thereon and also connected to the burner at its end, and a-motor connected to said radiall pipe section to rotate the same on *the fixed central pipe and thereby to rotate the burner around the still in the combustion space, together with a supplemental means to supply a medium to promote combustion comprising a fixedsleeve surrounding` the central fuel pipe, andl a radial pipe swivelled thereon and also connected to the burner at its outer end, a rotatingannular shelf closing,I the lower end of the combustionspace and supportedso as `to rotate with the burner and ,f means to` supply fuel 'to the burner through one swivelled connection, and steain through the other swivelled connection, said annular shelf'being provided with openings adjacent the burner to supply air to support combustion. l

8. The combination of a vertical still,- a furnace setting enclosing the same so as to leave an annular combustion space between them, means to'produce a' localized name-in said space, and means to produce rotation ofl said flame, and the passage of heated gases` therefrom throughout the entire space and' over the entire still area exposed therein.

9. The combination'of a vertical still, a furnace setting'enclosing the same so as to leave an annular combustion'space between them, means to produce a locahzed Haine 4in said space, means to produce rotation of said flame, and the passage of heatedgases therezontal from in and through said space, and means I isolating the bottom of the still fromv` said l space. t

10. The combination of avertical still having itsbottom insulated against heat and its sides exposed, a furnace setting enclosingthe same with an open annular combustion space between them, and means rotatingr in said space, to apply heat to successive points in a circle around the lower part of said still.

11. Thel combination of a vertical still a furnace setting surrounding the same wlth an annular combustion space -between the two, a stack adapted to receive products of combustion from the upper part' of said space, and combustion means producing a travelling. lamevrotating in a horizontal plane around the lower part of the still above the' bottom thereof. 4

12. The combination of a vertical still a furnace setting surrounding the same with an annular combustion space between the two, a stack adapte-d to receive products of combustion from the upper party of Said space, and combustionmeans comprising a fuel burner adapted to heat the side of the still above the bottom thereof, together with means to produce relative rotation in a horiplane. between the still and said burner.

13. The combinationof a vertical still, a

'furnace setting surrounding the same with an annular combustion space betweeny the two, a stack adapted to receive products of combustion fromthe upper part of said space, and combustion means comprising fuel burning means 1n sa1d combustlon space l above the bottom of the still, and means for exposing: dierent points in il Asuccession ground the still to thel action of said burning uel. i

In `testimony whereof' I affix my Signature.l

FRANK E. Y' 

